Pickups for stringed musical instruments are well known. One common example of such a pickup is the transducer of an electric guitar, which converts movement, i.e., vibration, of the guitar strings into electrical signals which may be amplified and/or otherwise modified so as to provide the desired volume and/or sound effects.
An example of such a pickup is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,835, issued on Feb. 2, 1999, to Baggs, the contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. The pickup disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,835 is primarily intended to be used in an acoustic musical instrument, such as an acoustic guitar, so as to facilitate amplification and/or modification of the sound produced thereby in a manner which maintains (does not substantially degrade) the nature of the sound produced by the musical instrument.
It is generally desirable that a pickup not substantially alter the characteristics of the sound produced by a musical instrument. The pickup should have a frequency response which is adequate to facilitate the reliable transformation of mechanical vibrations originating from the musical instrument into electrical signals representative thereof. Thus, the pickup should be capable of transforming fundamental tones, as well as higher frequency overtones associated therewith, into electrical signals without substantially altering the relative amplitudes of each fundamental tone and overtone. Moreover, it is desirable to maintain the integrity of the sound produced by the musical instrument, since the musical instrument was specifically designed and constructed so as to provide a particular desired sound.
Although it is desired to maintain the integrity of the sound produced by the musical instrument during conversion of the mechanical vibrations into an electrical signal representative thereof, it is generally desired that this electrical signal be amplified or otherwise modified so as to produce a desired sound. Generally, the signal will be amplified so as to provide a volume which is suitable for a particular venue. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, greater volume may be required in larger venues, as well as in those venues having an abundance of sound absorbing materials, such as drapes, chair cushions and the like.
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,835, a pickup disclosed therein is disposed within a saddle slot formed in a bridge plate of a guitar, such that a saddle bears down upon the pickup. Thus, as the strings of the musical instrument vibrate, their vibrations are transmitted through the saddle to the pickup. The pickup is acted upon by compressive or bending forces generated because of vibrations from the strings and/or sound board. The pickup utilizes piezoelectric principles or the like to convert the vibrations from the string into electrical signals which may be amplified and/or modified so as to produce the desired sound.
Although the pickup disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,835 is generally suitable for providing an electrical output representative of the vibration of the strings and/or of the sound board of a musical instrument, this pickup does include plurality of layers which contribute to the complexity and overall cost thereof.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a pickup for stringed instruments and the like which is comparatively simple in construction, so as to mitigate both the materials cost and the assembly cost associated therewith.